Three Observations vs White Sox: Which Young Rangers Hitters Impress?

The Texas Rangers have three younger hitters who have played a vital role in making the first two games against the White Sox competitive.

Chris Halicke | Apr 25, 2021

The first two games of the Texas Rangers' series against the Chicago White Sox hasn't gone quite gone their way. They were outslugged on Friday, then were walked off on Saturday after a tough pitcher's duel.

Still, it's important to remember what the goal is for this season. Wins are always better than losses, but the development of the Rangers' younger players remains paramount. Aspirations for 90-win seasons, division titles, and World Series appearances can't happen without an established young core.

Quite simply, the quicker the Rangers see who they have to build around, the sooner Jon Daniels and Chris Young will get uber-aggressive in adding marquee players to supplement them.

In the first two games of this series, three younger hitters have been the most crucial parts of the Texas lineup. Whether it's belting homers or hitting clutch singles, these three players have led the way. That should get Rangers fans excited.

Adolis García

The highest amount of intrigue should remain with Adolis García. He added two more home runs on Friday night, giving giving him five in just 11 games this season. Even when García isn't belting homers, he's having competitive at-bats. He came close to two more homers on Saturday, but continued a modest five-game on-base streak with a single late in the game.

This is a guy who has had the word "superstar" tied to him by manager Chris Woodward. Now, the Rangers skipper isn't already calling him one. He told bench coach Don Wakamatsu during spring training that García looked the part. How that translates past 11 big league games remains to be seen.

However, the is not the first time the Rangers would have found a diamond in the rough. García is 28 years old with his rookie status still intact. The track record for 28-year-old rookies isn't great overall. But does the name Nelson Cruz ring a bell to anyone? The age of the former Rangers slugger in his breakout season? 28.

Could history repeat itself? It's certainly possible. And what García has done in his first 11 games this season should absolutely get fans excited. However, there's a long season ahead of us. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

Willie Calhoun

Willie Calhoun looks different — and I mean that in the best way possible. His body language looks different from last season. He's having better at-bats, against lefties and righties. He looks more like the Willie Calhoun we saw in 2019, only with highlighted curls.

His game-tying home run off Liam Hendricks in the ninth inning on Saturday night could be huge for Willie. He's talked about getting back to hitting the way he hit before his jaw was broken by a fastball in spring training last season. Since coming back from his groin injury, he's hit the ball to all fields and had competitive at-bats against left-handed pitchers — something he was unable to do last season.

The clutch home run could be just another boost for Calhoun. If Willie can truly flash signs that he's hitting his potential, along with the intrigue around Adolis García, it begs the question of how Khris Davis fits into the Rangers plans once he regains his health.

Nick Solak

If the secret to Nick Solak's success is high socks, then he should be wearing them in his sleep. 24/7, actually.

Solak added to his hot streak at the plate in both of the first two games of this series. He broke the dam on Friday with a two-run homer then added two more hits on Saturday: a double in the first inning, and a clutch single in the seventh inning with Calhoun in scoring position. Only a solid throw by Billy Hamilton and athletic tag by Yasmani Grandal kept the Rangers from getting on the board.

In addition, Solak's defense at second base has looked very good in recent days. His athleticism is on full display with his ability to react quickly to hard grounders and low line drives. His defensive bWAR is right at replacement level for the season, but he has truly showed signs of improvement in the field.

If Solak hits the way he's projected to, the Rangers will take average to above average defense. Couple that with being tied with García and Nate Lowe for the team lead with five home runs, and the Rangers have themselves a pretty good ball player at second base.

Chris Halicke covers the Texas Rangers for SI's InsideTheRangers.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHalicke.
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Published Apr 25, 2021

CHRIS HALICKE